the scene makerSoho houSe I s ta n b u lHotels have been opening in Istanbul at quite a clip lately. But none captures the energy of the city quite like the Soho House in Beyoğlu, set in a cluster of buildings that includes the former American Embassy. The inlaid wood and gilded interiors had been hiding under drywall and white paint; now, they embellish a private club for members and hotel guests, with three restaurants, a speakeasy-style bar and a rooftop pool, where a glittering crowd smokes and air-kisses into the night. The rooms, in a new structure across a pretty courtyard, impress on their own: warm, tactile cocoons of dark wood layered with beautiful textiles. Think of them as a necessary respite from the formidable chic next door, so close and yet so far. sohohouse istanbul.com; doubles from  US$272.

Each year, Travel + Leisure checks in to hundreds of buzzy new properties, but only a select few earn a place on the It List, our annual

editors’ choice awards. What sets these 49 winners apart: a refreshing take on service and design, an uncharted location, or enough glitz and glamour

to make a classic destination feel fresh again. In short, these are hotels worth traveling for. Here, 20 of our favorites.

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the Zen master | Phum Baitang s I e m r e a P

Angkor Wat tops many a bucket list, but the crowds can make seeing the temple a frenetic experience. Siem Reap’s latest resort, with 45 villas on stilts amid lemongrass fields and rice paddies, puts a serene, five-star spin on the area’s traditional wooden farmhouses: each suite has an indoor and an outdoor sitting area, a deep soaking tub and panoramic forest views. Continue your cultural immersion with a coconut-milk massage at the seven-room spa, modeled on the area’s unesco-designated temples, or a crash course on Khmer cuisine at restaurant Bay Phsar. phumbaitang.com; doubles from US$463.

the indie darling hotel emma s a n a n t o n I o , t e x a sSome are calling San Antonio Texas’s next capital of cool—and Hotel Emma is at the center of it all. A brewery turned hotel sounds like a hipster cliché, but this showstopper advances the industrial-chic aesthetic. Its 146 character-packed rooms have original stonework and vaulted ceilings, along with an urban edge (exposed steel window frames). The Emma also fits in with its epicurean neighbors: the on-site larder stocks breads from nearby Bakery Lorraine, the restaurant draws from the biweekly farmers’ market and throwback iceboxes in each room hold the fixings for margaritas. Be sure to hit the bar Sternewirth—the former watering hole for brewery workers, which dates to 1883—where old fermentation tanks double as banquette seats. thehotel emma.com; doubles from US$276.

the design star | CaSa Fayette G ua da l a ja r a , m e x I c oGrupo Habita, Casa Fayette’s owner, has a knack for creating buzz around Mexican destinations. This time, the company has anointed Guadalajara the next “it” city—specifically Colonia Americana, a bougainvillea-covered neighborhood of galleries and restaurants. Housed in a 1940s Art Deco mansion, the 37-room property has been given an avant-garde remodel by local firm Estudio5. The interiors mix serious design pieces with whimsical, retro touches. Chairs in the bar are upholstered in a palm-tree print and are dripping in gold tassels; the bathrooms are wall-to-wall marble lit by Midcentury fixtures. Come Saturday night, a who’s who stops by the dramatically lit bar. casafayette.com; doubles from US$195.

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the beach babe | one&only oCean CluBPa r a d I s e I s l a n d , b a h a m a s

When A&P heir Huntington Hartford II conceived his Bahamian retreat a half-century ago, it’s unlikely that he could have pictured guests arriving in Bentleys with Wi-Fi. But times have changed—and so has this property, following a partial but impactful face-lift. The most exciting addition is the oceanfront infinity pool, where couples sip elder flower martinis from butler-serviced chaises. The 52 rooms in the original Hartford Wing were also enlarged and redone; the colonial-style décor was swapped out for clean-lined furnishings and blue-and-cream hues. Hartford would definitely have approved. oneand only resorts.com; doubles from US$1,035. 

the new grande dame | Cotton houSe hotel b a r c e l o n a If a city hotel could ever mimic the why-bother-going-out feeling of a resort, it would be the Cotton House. Set in a 19th-century Neoclassical landmark—once the Cotton Producers Guild—the 83-room gem from Autograph Collection has been deftly reinvented by designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán. His preservation of many original features, like the spiral staircase, tiled floors and intricately carved ceilings, gives the lobby a sense of history. The location by the boutiques of Passeig de Gràcia is another plus. Nonetheless, we saw guests content to stay on-property, lounging by the rooftop pool and reading in the library. hotelcottonhouse.com; doubles from €260.

the culture magnet | Faenam I a m I b e a c h

Developer Alan Faena tasked Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin with helping him reimagine the historic Saxony Hotel, the anchor of his six-block-long cultural district. The result? A surreal mash-up evocative of late- period Gianni Versace and the Moulin Rouge. The lobby has eight Juan Gatti murals, including neo-Baroque images of skulls and horses. In the garden is Damien Hirst’s Gone But Not Forgotten, a giant 24-karat-gold-gilded woolly-mammoth skeleton. Los Fuegos, Francis Mallmann’s first U.S. project, serves a rib eye with chimichurri that transcends the hype. And the guest rooms are over the top, with red velvet armchairs and turquoise carpeting. Up next is an arts center by Rem Koolhaas/ OMA. Brace yourself, America: the FaenaLand invasion has begun. faena.com; doubles from US$899.

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